MOME Fashion Show 2026: Emerging Design Talent Takes the Runway in Budapest
If you happen to be in Budapest on the evening of September 3, 2026, and you have an interest in contemporary fashion, art, or design, the MOME Fashion Show is well worth adding to your calendar. Held at the Moholy-Nagy University of Art and Design’s Zugliget Campus in the Buda Hills, this annual runway event introduces the newest generation of textile and fashion designers to industry professionals and the public alike. With more than 100 looks presented across the runway and an accompanying exhibition, this year’s edition is the most ambitious yet, blending fashion with contemporary art in a way that feels far more personal and thought-provoking than a typical clothing showcase.
What to Expect on the Runway
Rather than simply presenting seasonal collections, the designers behind this year’s show use fashion as a lens for exploring pressing contemporary questions. Expect to see work that touches on sustainability, the tension between tradition and contemporary culture, shifting personal identities, and even the processing of grief and trauma. The MA graduates developed their pieces through independent research and personal creative direction, resulting in collections as varied as a critique of idealized femininity built through draping and deconstructed tailoring, a knitwear line inspired by the sensory overload of city life, and a bridal collection reimagining traditional Csetnek lace techniques using natural fibers.
The BA graduates, meanwhile, built their final projects around the theme of beginnings and endings, exploring how the close of one chapter, whether personal, physical, or symbolic, can mark the start of something new. Their work spans garments, footwear, bags, experimental materials, and tactile textile systems, some of which will walk the runway while others are reserved for the accompanying exhibition space.
An Exhibition Worth Lingering Over
Beyond the runway itself, the show includes an interdisciplinary exhibition featuring pieces that reward a closer, slower look. Among the standout works are biocomposites developed from spent brewer’s grain, an installation built from fire hoses that draws a parallel between plant root systems and urban infrastructure, and a set of interlocking tactile textile pieces designed to support children’s sensory learning and storytelling. Modular footwear, foldable bag designs, and single-panel leather constructions round out a collection of projects that push well past conventional fashion design into material innovation and spatial art.
The People Behind the Show
The event is curated by respected figures in the Hungarian fashion scene, including MA Programme Lead Ildikó Kele, who has built her own fashion label over many years, alongside lecturer Dóra Tomcsányi, BA Programme Lead Annamária Simándi-Kövér, and the wider teaching team at MOME’s Fashion and Textile Design Center. What makes this year particularly interesting is how involved the students themselves are in shaping the show beyond their individual collections, from designing the recycled-banner backdrop for the catwalk to coordinating backstage operations, hair, and makeup concepts. It’s a nice reminder that a fashion show is never just a few minutes on a runway. It’s the result of months of research, craftsmanship, and collaborative creative work.
Planning Your Visit
The MOME Fashion Show takes place on Thursday, September 3, 2026, with doors opening at 6:00pm and the show starting at 6:30pm. The venue is the MOME Campus at Zugligeti út 9-25 in Budapest’s 12th district, a leafy, hillside part of the city that’s a scenic change of pace from the usual downtown tourist track. Visitors should arrive and register at the main entrance of the Master Building. Since the campus sits at the edge of the Buda Hills, it’s easy to combine your visit with a walk in the surrounding green spaces before or after the show. Tickets are required and can be booked in advance online, so it’s a good idea to secure yours ahead of time given the popularity of this event among both fashion insiders and curious visitors exploring Budapest’s creative side.